1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to large display signs in general and more particular to commercial display signs which must be changed frequently due to menu or price changes.
2. General Background
Fast food outlets, service stations, quick stop type stores and other such businesses generally display their specialties and prices with large display signs along the street adjacent their place of business. As menus and prices fluctuate these signs must be changed repeatedly, often placing personnel at risk and requiring excessive amount of time and labor. Various means have been employed to accomplish this process. Reader boards as they are called are used, whereby the price numbers or letters are positioned in grooves by someone standing on a ladder. To prevent accidents, devices which allow the sign to be lowered to ground level while the display is changed and then raised to its normal display height have been developed. Examples of such signs can be had by reviewing U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,215,978, 1,072,799, 2,522,157, 2,591,494 and 4,829,688. Inevitably these methods create as many problems as they solve. If the numbers and letters are placed in groves, they are subject to high winds blowing them out, often tearing them apart requiring replacement. If the sign is fixed, personnel are placed at risk by standing on high ladders. If the sign is lowered to ground level for changing, special winch systems are usually employed along with a guide system to restrain the sign from swinging while being lowered. This is usually a result of such signs being heavily constructed. The process of lowering such signs often requires two or more people to accomplish the task. Therefore, a need exist which addresses both the problem of efficiency and economy.
To replace such signage is expensive and a waste of materials. In some cases it may be advantageous to retain access to the reader board portion of the sign whereby price changes can be made while changing or retaining a picture panel portion of the sign.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a system which allows a single person to simply pull down a light weight sign panel, replace the picture face panel with an economical laminated paper poster by snapping the poster into a secure clamp type frame and returning the sign to its display position in a very short period of time.
It is another object of the invention to provide an inexpensive laminated picture display sign panel for such signs. It is still another object of the invention to provide a pull-down sign system which can be retrofitted to an existing fixed sign structures.
A further object of the invention is to provide a sign having quick change replaceable picture panels in combination with a reader board portion.